Many issues are now arising that render a low power remote asset monitoring system desirable. Some of these issues developed from the terrorist threat to the United States since Sep. 11, 2001, and the concern of anti-terrorist personnel with the relatively free and unmonitored transportation of massive amounts of material throughout the United States by trains, trucks, and ships. A system that permits monitoring of the contents of these shipping containers could substantially reduce this terrorist threat.
The FBI has recently stated that cargo crime is conservatively estimated at about $12 billion per year. It is the fastest growing crime problem in the United States. Other areas of criminal activity involve shipments imported into the United States that are used to conceal illegal goods including weapons, illegal immigrants, narcotics, and products that violate trademarks and patents. The recent concern on the potential use of cargo containers as weapons of mass destruction is also causing great pressure to improve information, inspection, tracking and monitoring technologies. Furthermore, the movement of hazardous cargo and the potential for sabotage is also causing increased concern among law enforcement agencies and resulting in increasing demands for security for such hazardous cargo shipments.
A low cost low power monitoring system of cargo containers and their contents could substantially solve these problems.
Cargo security is defined as the safe and reliable intermodal movement of goods from the shipper to the eventual destination with no loss due to theft or damage. Cargo security is concerned with the key assets that move the cargo including containers, trailers, chassis, tractors, vessels and rail cars as well as the cargo itself. Modern manufacturing methods requiring just-in-time delivery further places a premium on cargo security.
The recent increase in cargo theft and the concern for homeland security are thus placing new demands on cargo security and because of the large number of carriers and storage locations, inexpensive systems are needed to continuously monitor the status of cargo from the time that it leaves the shipper until it reaches its final destination. Technological advancements such as the global positioning system (GPS), and improved communication systems, including wireless telecommunications via satellites, and the Internet have created a situation where such an inexpensive system is now possible.
To partially respond to these concerns, projects are underway to remotely monitor the geographic location of shipping containers as well as the tractors and chassis, boats, planes and railroad cars that move these containers or cargo in general. The ability exists now for communicating limited amounts of information from shipping containers directly to central computers and the Internet using satellites and other telematics communication devices.
In some prior art systems, cargo containers are sealed with electronic cargo seals, the integrity of which can be remotely monitored. Knowledge of the container's location as well as the seal integrity are vital pieces of information that can contribute to solving the problems mentioned above. However, this is not sufficient and the addition of various sensors and remote monitoring of these sensors is now not only possible but necessary.
Emerging technology now permits the monitoring of some safety and status information on the chassis such as tire pressures, brake system status, lights, geographical location, generator performance, and container security and this information can now be telecommunicated to a remote location. This invention is concerned with these additional improvements to the remote reporting system.
Additionally, biometric information can be used to validate drivers of vehicles containing hazardous cargo to minimize terrorist activities involving these materials. This data needs to be available remotely especially if there is a sudden change in drivers. Similarly, any deviation from the authorized route can now be detected and this also needs to be remotely reported. Much of the above-mentioned prior art activity is in bits and pieces, that is, it is available on the vehicle and sometimes to the dispatching station while the vehicle is on the premises. It now needs to be available to a central monitoring location at all times. Homeland security issues arising out the components that make up the cargo transportation system including tractors, trailers, chassis, containers and railroad cars, will only be eliminated when the contents of all such elements are known, monitored, and thus the misappropriation of such assets eliminated. The shipping system or process that takes place in the United States should guarantee that all shipping containers contain only the appropriate contents and are always on the proper route from their source to their destination and on schedule. This invention is concerned with achieving this 100 percent system primarily through low power remote monitoring of the assets that make up the shipping system.
The system that is described herein for monitoring shipping assets and the contents of shipping containers can also be used for a variety of other asset monitoring problems including the monitoring of unattended boats, cabins, summer homes, private airplanes, sheds, warehouses, storage facilities and other remote unattended facilities. With additional sensors, the quality of the environment, the integrity of structures, the presence of unwanted contaminants etc. can also now be monitored and reported on an exception basis through a low power, essentially maintenance-free monitoring and reporting system in accordance with the invention as described herein.